US, Britain call on Serbia to extradite two radical Serbs to The Hague

The United States and Great Britain expressed concern today with the UN Security Council (KS) for Serbia's failure to co-operate with The Hague tribunal's successor and urged Belgrade to extradite former members of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS).

At a UN KS session in which International Court of Justice President in The Hague Carmel Agius and Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz presented a regular report, the US representative expressed serious concern for Serbia's non-co-operation with internationals.

Serbia has the obligation to co-operate with the Mechanism, and we call on it to act on the order of that court, arrest and extradite former Serbian Radical Party deputies Petra Jojiq and Vjelica Radeta”, the US diplomat said.

He also noted the problem of denying genocide and showing a wall in Belgrade with the image of former Republika Srpska Army Commander Ratko Mladic, convicted in The Hague of genocide and crimes against humanity.

The Great Britain representative urged Serbia to obey the Mechanism's command.

“Sorry Serbia did not hand over Petra Jojiq and Vjerica Radeta after some mechanism demands. We call on her to do so without further delay”, the British diplomat said, adding that the legalisation of war criminals is unacceptable.

Norway's representative has also condemned Jojiq and Radeta's extradition to The Hague, declaring Serbia is sending a bad message to the world.

Earlier, Mechanism Chairman Adjius, during the report's handover, again urged Serbia to arrest and extradite Jojiqi and Radeta, accused of ignoring that court.

Due to his refusal to arrest Jojiq and Radeta, Adjius has reported Serbia to the UN KS three times so far. In 2012, The Hague Tributal accused them of having influenced prosecution witnesses in The Hague trial against Radical leader Vojislav Seshel, through threats, blackmail and bribery. Since 2015, Serbian authorities have refused the arrest and extradition of Jojiq and Radeta to The Hague.

In the case of Jojiq and Radeta, Croatian Ambassador to the UN Ivan Shimonovic, said witness intimidation is a serious crime and that it should be treated as such.

He also said that praising war criminals and denying genocide and other war crimes is unacceptable and distances the region from reconciliation. Shimonovic said Zagreb is awaiting Serbia's response to the signing of a bilateral war crimes processing agreement.

BiH's ambassador to the UN, Sven Alkalaj, also condemned the legalisation of war criminals and the denial of genocide and other war crimes as unacceptable.

Alkalaj noted the fact that murals are being painted in Serbia and Republika Srpska with Mladic's image, and added that this is not the path of reconciliation in BiH and the Western Balkans.

He said the punishment of all those responsible for crimes is necessary for reconciliation, which is part of the region's path towards EU membership.